Serving Our City Day 1

I found my face buried in my hands at 6:00 PM confessing our weaknesses and longing for God to do a great work in our lives and the lives of those our neighbors at Redeemer. By 6:15 there were 12 young black students sitting on the floor of the church building listening to Richard Lindsey share with them God's Word and a challenge to use their gifts for God's glory in being creative with music, drawing and poetry. Minutes later Christine Phillips was teaching musical notes and teaching these mostly young men to play their part in making music to the glory of God; Danielle West had sketch pads filled with birds taking on color from kids who were saying to her when she first handed them the pad, "I can't draw, I suck at art"; And Tricia Koles while teaching poetry allowed a young men to pen words about God's redemptive grace in Jesus Christ.

Ryan West and I crowded into Ben and Peter's truck with eight of these young men to take them back to their homes in the pouring down rain, thunder and lightening with the hope of returning tomorrow night. I am weary this evening but not weary of well doing. I long for another day with God's people pouring out their lives in ministry to their neighbors.

We began the day painting a neighbors inside walls and cleaning up around the outside of her house. It began like most ministry trips testing our faith as the pieces did not come together as planned and we had to wait and wonder was this going to be a failed attempt at ministry. But God gave us joy in Him and grace for patience and the morning was well spent.

The afternoon of controlled chaos at Palmetto Square began with car loads of white people arriving in their green shirts spreading out over three blocks down six different streets searching for their neighbors. The throngs arrived and the Bible club tarp was filled with children learning from the Scriptures, singing songs and making crafts all to encourage them to trust Christ Jesus for salvation. The older kids were playing soccer and tennis where relationships were being built and the gospel was being shared.

There are many in the church who are participating in many different ways and Ryan West is doing a great job pulling us all together and helping us put the pieces together. Please continue in prayer for this work that God will be glorified as we seek to love God and our neighbors in the city of Brunswick.